Light
by GoldenSunshineLight
Summary: She's his medicine, she's his safety mat, she's his friend, but above all things, she's his Light. Oliver has never really thought about what she really means to him, but when he's prompted to do so, he may finally see clearly.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this is my second FanFic... yay... **

**For those of you who know me from my other Fanfic _It's Simply Called Love_, I'm not giving up on that one. In fact, I've actually got the next chapter almost complete. I haven't written in a while.. I know, but life's just been really busy.  
**

**In any case, this plot bunny just popped into my head and I don't know _exactly_ where I'm going with this one, but I like it so far and I'm excited to see where it takes me. **

**As I mentioned before, this is my second Fanfic. The first chapter's a bit short, but I hope you guys like it!**

* * *

He walked through the halls of the mansion at a leisurely pace. He was in no rush to do anything or go anywhere. For once, everything in the world felt right and he was completely happy. He wasn't exactly sure _what _it was that made him feel the way he did, but he didn't care; he hadn't felt like this in a long time and he intended to make it last as long as he could.

He found himself in the living room. No one was around, but he didn't mind, he simply sat down on the sofa, leaned back, and closed his eyes. He stayed like that for some time, peacefully relaxed, his mind free of any and all worry. He faintly heard the sound of the front door open and light footsteps approaching, but he remained as he was. The sofa sank as she sat down beside him. He didn't need to open his eyes; he knew.

He smiled and draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. The familiar scent of her strawberry shampoo filled his nostrils as he buried his nose in her golden locks and kissed the top of her head. He heard her sigh contently and marveled at how that simple gesture filled him with happiness. He mentally hit himself as he remembered wondering _what _made him feel the way he did—there was no question, it was her.

"I like to seeing you like this," she said softly.

"Hmmm." He could just imagine her perfect smile, but he didn't open his eyes yet. The moment was too peaceful—too perfect—and he wanted it to last just a little longer.

"Well isn't this just perfect?" He heard the familiar voice of his mother ask. "Wait! Stay right where you are! I'll be right back with the camera." Before either of them could say a thing, he heard his mother's footsteps scurry off.

He chuckled and placed another kiss in her hair. Soon, his mother returned and he heard her come and stand directly in front of them. There was a faint click and a flash. "Perfect," his mother said happily.

He chuckled again and cracked an eye open to look at Miora. "Really mom?"

"Yes, really! This family's been through far too much and it's caused far too much anger and sorrow. Finally, we're happy, so I intend to make sure that we remember all of the good times. What could be better than a lovely picture of my son and his wife?"

He laughed. Just then Thea entered the room. "Awww. Cute. Now scootch Ollie I wanna be in the picture too."

Oliver did as he was told and made room for Thea on his right. Once she sat, he draped the other arm over her shoulders and smiled as his mother took another picture.

"Okay, now get up. I want one with my sister-in-law," Thea commanded.

Oliver groaned indignantly, but got up and went to stand by his mother. He watched as Thea squished his wife against her and the picture was taken. Miora turned to him and placed the camera in his hands. "Now all the girls," she said as she went to sit in-between them.

He wasn't sure how his peaceful afternoon had turned into a photo shoot, but he didn't mind. His mother was right, they had been through far too much and the best moments deserved to be documented. "Smile," he said as he pressed the button on the camera.

After a few more pictures, Thea stood up. "Alright, let's leave Ollie and Licity alone shall we mom."

"But—"

"Come on," Thea said as she dragged Miora out of the room.

Oliver sat down beside Felicity once more and wordlessly kissed her. The rest of the afternoon, they remained as they were and watched _Mouiln Rouge_. As the credits began to play, they both drifted off into sleep.

* * *

He woke up in a darkened room. He rubbed his eyes in confusion, he was in his own bed, but he clearly remembered falling asleep on the couch with Felicity. He looked to his side and found a mess of blond hair; he smiled and looked around the room. It was still dark out: 4:15 am his clock said.

Turning towards Felicity, he repositioned himself against her and she shifted in his arms. As she began to turn towards him, he noticed she was different somehow. Her golden locks were less curly and the smell of strawberry was absent. Her arms felt more muscular. On the whole, she didn't feel as fragile. Suddenly, he realized why; it wasn't Felicity. It was Sara.

He pulled back and Sara, now awake, looked at him worriedly. "Is—is everything okay Ollie?"

His mind, clouded by sleep, attempted to shift into gear, but the thoughts were racing too fast and he was confused. "I—Yeah…" He closed his eyes tightly in an attempted to organize his thoughts. Everything became clear at once: he wasn't married, his family wasn't happy, he wasn't with Felicity. He was with Sara and it had all been a dream. "Everything is fine. I just had a dream…that's all…"

Sara reached out to touch his face, but before he could think about what he was doing, he pulled back. Her expression became more worried and she retracted her hand. "Was it a bad dream? Do you want to talk about it?"

He knew that it would make more sense to tell her that it _had been_a bad dream and that he didn't want to talk about it, but he found himself saying: "No. It wasn't a bad dream…"

"Oh…," Now Sara looked confused. Before she could say anything more however, Oliver got out of bed.

He was suddenly anxious to do something. "I think I'll get an early start today. I'm going to get some training done at the Foundry before heading to work."

Sara hesitated, now even more confused than before. "Okay then. I'll see you later."

Oliver disappeared into his closet and reappeared wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. "I'll see you later," he said heading out the door.

* * *

**A/N: So? What did you guys think? **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So here's chapter two! :P Thank you so much for the lovely comments on chapter one. I really appreciate it. I hope you guys like this chapter.**

* * *

_One. Two. One. Two. One. Two. One. Two. _He allowed his mind no rest from the rigorous repetition as his fists made contact with the punching bag time and time again. This was the distraction he needed. He knew that if he let his mind wander his thoughts would stray to the dream and for some reason, he didn't want to think about it. Some part of him knew that if he thought about it, he would uncover something—what, he wasn't sure, but he didn't want to uncover anything. His life was already far more complicated than he'd like it to be. Of course that was by choice, but he wouldn't add any more complications if he could help it.

_One. Two. One. Two. One. Two. One. Two. _Again and again he hit the punching bag attempting to release any and all thought. It was working; he just hoped that it would work for the rest of the day. He stopped, 7:50. He was going to be late.

Sighing, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and grabbed his duffle bag. He showered and changed quickly, but he was still going to be late. As he drove, he blared the music in his car, determined to drown out any thoughts.

When he entered the office, he was relieved to find that Felicity was nowhere to be found. He knew he was being stupid, but he just needed some time to figure out exactly what he was going to do about this whole thing. He knew he couldn't avoid her. Sighing, he sat at his desk and turned on his computer. Hopefully, today would be a busy day; that way he wouldn't have to think about her or the dream.

He groaned, and leaned back in his chair. '_This is stupid'_, he told himself. _'Get a grip! It was just a dream!' _

"Oliver!"

He swerved in his chair to face the very object of his confusion. Felicity stood in the doorway wearing a simple white summer dress, hair in its usual ponytail, glasses absent, and her tablet in her hands. It took Oliver a moment to realize that she was angry.

"Oliver you're late! Do you have any idea how uncomfortable Isabel makes me? I've been trying to come up with lame excuses for the past half-an-hour to explain exactly _why _you're missing the meeting that she's been reminding you of for the past two weeks!"

He watched, amused, as she ranted, taking calculated steps until she was directly in front of his desk. Her mouth was still uttering words, but he didn't hear them. Suddenly, she slammed her tablet on his desk and he blinked.

"Oliver! Are you listening to me?"

"Hmm? What?"

Her expression softened. Her blue-green eyes grew wide, "Are you okay?"

He smiled, she was always looking out for others. "Yes. What were you saying?"

"Hurry up and get into that conference room!" She pointed at the door.

The face of a very angry Isabel Rochev flashed in his mind and reluctantly got up. "Being late is something that playboy Oliver Queen would do, remember?" He said smoothly, trying to play off his tardiness as an intentional action.

Felicity rolled her eyes. "At _some _point CEO Oliver Queen is going to have to grow up and learn to be on time."

Oliver stopped in his tracks and turned to Felicity, a feigned look of surprise on his face. It got the desired reaction from Felicity because she smiled. "I'm not apologizing for that Mr. Queen, you know that I'm right."

* * *

The meeting was _long_ and boring. They had been listening to financial reports from every department for the past hour-and-a-half and his thoughts began to wander. Oliver looked in the direction of Isabel because a good glare from her would instantly return his attention to the meeting. He found her seat empty however, and looked around the room.

"She left about fifteen minutes ago. She has another meeting," Felicity leaned in to whisper beside him.

The image of Felicity curled up against him on the sofa flashed in his mind: the scent of strawberry, the sound of her sighing contently.

He set his jaw in pinched the bridge of his nose. He tried to think of _something _else, _anything _else, but the dream seemed to be determined to overpower his thoughts.

"Oliver are you sure that you're alright?"

Taking a deep breath, Oliver opened his eyes and found the managers of the various departments of Queen Consolidated all looking at him.

"Maybe we should continue this meeting tomorrow morning," the elderly department manager of Human Resources, John, suggested.

"Maybe we should," Oliver said. "Tomorrow morning, gentlemen." He pushed away from the long table and walked out of the room without another word.

He was acutely aware of the fact that Felicity was only a few steps behind him and that she was going to interrogate him as soon as they entered his office. Sure enough, the door was closed behind her as she entered the room and she came to stand beside him, as he looked the window at the city. A warm hand was placed lightly on his shoulder, "Oliver?"

"I'm fine," he said automatically.

"You don't honestly expect me to believe that do you?"

He smiled slightly, despite himself, and looked down at her. Her eyes were full of concern. What he had done to deserve her in his life, he didn't know. A wave of guilt and sorrow washed over him as he realized that _this _would go away one day. She was a grown woman who was an expert in her respective field; she wouldn't always be here. One day she would find a better job— a job where she would be able to do what she was trained to do. One day she'd find the right guy—a guy who deserved her and made sure that she was the center of his life. One day she'd start a family of her own. One day _this _would be a memory.

He would be happy for her because she deserved better. Now, however, he felt stupid for never considering the future. He'd been living under the assumption that things would always stay the way they were now.

_'All because of that stupid dream,' _he thought.

"Oliver, tell me what's wrong?"

"I don't know. It's just one of those days I guess."

She didn't buy it. He didn't expect her to.

"I'm always here if you need to talk," she said before returning to her desk.

Sighing in frustration, he sat down at his desk and immersed himself in a pile of documents and contracts hoping that they would keep his mind occupied for the remainder of the day—or at least until he could make his way to the Foundry again.

* * *

"Someone's been working hard." Oliver looked up from the papers before him as Felicity entered the room and sat down on the couch. "How was lunch?"

He blinked, "Lunch?" _'Was it really that late already?' _

Felicity, distracted by her tablet, took a moment to reply. "Yes. Lunch."

"I didn't realize it was this late. I guess I skipped lunch."

Felicity looked up. "What did you tell Sara?"

It was the first time since he'd left the house that Sara had entered his mind. "Sara?"

Felicity put down her tablet. "Oliver please tell me your joking. You forgot that you had lunch plans with Sara?"

"Crap!" He padded his pockets in search for his phone and wrenched open the drawers of his desk. Nothing. Cursing under his breath, he picked up the office phone and began to dial her number.

"Hello?"

"Sara, I'm so sorry! I just got held up at work and—ughh I just completely forgot."

"It's okay," she sounded a little disappointed, but it was nothing too bad, "I figured that you wouldn't make it when you didn't answer your phone. I got some lunch with Laurel."

"Oh, good, good. I'm really sorry…"

"It's fine. I'll see you later okay?"

"Yeah, I'll see you later."

"Well, at least she's not mad," Felicity said.

"Yeah…"

He glanced at her, she was once again completely absorbed by the tablet. She looked perfect, just as she had in the dream. There was only one thing out of place: her hair. He suddenly had the urge to tug out the hairband, so that her curls could freely fall about her shoulders. _'Stop! It was just a dream. You're with Sara! Get a grip!' _

"Oliver, remember that you have the charity gala tomorrow night," she said still looking at the screen.

"Right."

"You should be on time to this one. It's good for the public image of the company. Your mother can't come because she has a dinner to go to, your sister can't come either because someone's rented out Verdant for a private party, and I am assuming that you've forgotten to ask Sara to go with you," now Felicity looked up, titling her head slightly and giving him a knowing smile.

"Um... I didn't forget, but I didn't ask her. It's not really her scene...I'll ask her later."

"Good."

Oliver leaned back in his chair, "So what are you up to these days?"

"Getting overworked by my boss...," she said absently.

"I'm sorry about that...," he replied sympathetically. Felicity did work far too much. "How about a few days off?"

She raised an eyebrow and looked at him, an amused expression on her face. "From which job?"

"Both."

"I may just take you up on that offer Mr. Queen._" _

Just then Diggle walked in with a bag of Big Belly Burger. "I heard someone missed lunch."

Oliver looked at Felicity and she shrugged, "You did miss lunch."

"Thank you," he said knowing that she told Diggle to bring him something.

"Hey, I'm the one who actually brought you the food," Diggle reminded him.

He chuckled, "Thanks Digg."

The rest of the work day was spent pleasantly. No work was done, the three friends just sat together and talked. Suddenly, Oliver wished that he had a camera, this was one of those happy moments that he wanted to document. It was simple, but it was worth more than all of the money in his bank account.

"Felicity?"

"Yes?"

"Can I borrow your cell-phone?" She looked at him dubiously, but handed it over. "I'm not sure where I left mine, but I want a picture." Diggle and Felicity shared an odd look, but they smiled when Oliver told them to. "Send them to me later," Oliver requested, once they had taken a few.

"Sure."

* * *

**A/N: So? What did you guys think? I hope Oliver wasn't too OCC (I tried not to make him OCC). I find it much easier to write from Felicity's perspective, but I hope I didn't do too badly.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for the lovely comments, they keep me writing. :) Here is chapter 3. I hope you guys like it.  
**

* * *

Oliver and Diggle arrived at the Foundry around 7:00. As they expected, no one was around. Diggle busied himself with turning on the computers, so that they would be ready for use as soon as Felicity arrived. Oliver changed quickly and immediately headed for the punching bags to resume his training from earlier that morning.

_One. Two. One. Two. One. Two. One. Two. _He could feel Diggle's eyes boring holes into his skull, but he kept the pace. After about fifteen minutes, it became too much. "What?" He asked, catching the punching bag and holding it steady.

Diggle smiled knowingly, "You want to tell me what's bothering you?" It was phrased as a question, but both men knew that it wasn't really a question.

"Nothing in particular," Oliver said. He didn't really want to tell Diggle about the dream and he definitely didn't want to explain the conflicting feelings that had resulted from the dream.

"Come on. I don't buy that. Nobody buys that." Diggle crossed his arms over his chest; the ultimate sign that he was _not _going to let this one go.

Luckily, Roy chose that moment to enter the Foundry. "Sup Guys?"

"Hey Roy," Oliver said. "Ready to train?"

Roy unzipped his signature red jacket and flung it on one of the chairs. "I was born ready, Queen."

Oliver rolled his eyes, but smiled as Roy began cracking his knuckles. They moved to the training mats. "Remember what I taught you before, always stay light on your feet so that you can move at a moments notice. Eyes on your opponent, mind on your environment and your opponent. You want to use as little energy as you can if it's possible. Take advantage of your environment; use it. If you can't use your environment, keep both your eyes and mind focused on your opponent."

"Yes sir!" Roy took a swing, but Oliver smoothly stepped aside and dogged it.

"Don't do the obvious. Your opponent is likely to be as good, or better than you and will know what to expect."

Roy took another swing and Oliver caught his arm. "Use your weight to your advantage, sometimes a simple shift in your weight," Oliver caught his other arm, "is all you need."

"Like this?" Roy suddenly turned so that his back was to Oliver and then shifted his weight. Within seconds, Oliver collided with the mat.

"Err… yeah…something like that."

Diggle's amused chuckle echoed through the Foundry.

* * *

Felicity dropped her bag onto the couch as she threw her shoes in the corner of the living room. She usually went to the Foundry straight after work, but today she had opted to come home and shower first. It was going to be a long night of sitting behind the computers trying to figure out where Slade was.

She showered quickly, opting to dress comfortably in a pair of black yoga pants and her navy blue MIT hoodie. She put her hair in a messy ponytail and took out her contacts, opting for her comfortable glasses instead. Slipping on her comfortable panda flats, she turned off the light in her room and decided to sit on her couch for a few moments of rest.

She took out her phone and checked for missed calls; nothing. She smiled as she remembered Oliver's lighthearted mood from earlier and the photos that he had taken. She hadn't seen them all and she'd promised to send them to him. The first three were of her and Diggle. In one, they were both smiling, and in the other two, they were making silly faces. The one after that was of Diggle and Oliver both smiling. There were two of the three of them, but in both of them, their foreheads had almost been completely cut off. She laughed to herself; that was the moment in which she had decided to take the selfie of the three of them herself instead of letting Oliver do it. The next few pictures of the three of them were, of course, perfect; she had taken them after all.

There were two more of Diggle making funny faces. She continued to scroll. There was one more of her smiling and then she found that there were about seven more in which she wasn't even looking at the camera. She hadn't even been aware that Oliver had kept taking pictures of her. There was even one where she was looking at her tablet; she remembered that she had wanted to show them something, she must have been looking through her tablet while he'd taken the picture.

It was odd that Oliver had continued to take pictures of her, but she didn't allow her mind to wander to that dangerous place, she simply kept scrolling through the pictures. The last few were of her and Oliver: one where they were both smiling, one where they were making silly faces, and one in which she was looking at the camera and he was looking at her. There was a strange look on his face, if Felicity didn't know better, she would have classified it as a look of adoration, longing, and love, but she knew better.

_'He's with Sara. They are meant for each other. They understand each other. They respect each other. They love each other,' _she reminded herself. She was convinced that she would get over her crush on Oliver soon enough, just as long as she kept her mind away from the dark little corner that allowed her to believe that he felt something more for her.

She sent almost all of the pictures to him. She only sent him one in which she was not looking at the camera however, and she hesitated with the last picture in which he was looking at her. She decided that it was innocent enough, so she sent it to him. Having sent the pictures, she got up from the couch, threw her phone into her bag and headed out.

* * *

Oliver watched as Diggle and Roy sparred on the mats. He heard the code being punched in and the door open. Only when he saw Sara descending the staircase did he realize that he had been waiting for Felicity. He sighed, frustrated with himself. _'Get a grip!' _

"Evening boys, how's the training going?" Sara asked, looking amused at the sight of Diggle and Roy attempting to throw each other on the mat.

They each mumbled unintelligible 'Hello's' completely focused on outsmarting each other.

"Hey Sara," Oliver said, smiling as he enveloped her in a hug. Sara tilted her head upwards and Oliver captured her lips in a kiss. It felt different. He wasn't sure why, but something about the kiss was different. Hoping that Sara didn't notice, he pulled away. "I've been meaning to ask, would you like to come with me to a charity gala tomorrow evening?"

The smile on her face faded slightly, she didn't like those functions and he knew it. "Would you mind terribly if I said no?"

He shook his head, "No. I knew you wouldn't want to go."

"Sorry." She reached up and gave him a quick kiss, "I'll patrol while you party."

He chuckled, "Okay."

"Who's partying?" Felicity asked as she descended the stairs.

Oliver looked over at her. As soon as he saw her he was filled with a sense of peace and happiness, it was something about seeing her in comfortable attire that she would normally reserve for home. He couldn't help but think that she looked beautiful, dressed so simply, her familiar glasses on, hair messy, and practically swimming in the oversized MIT hoodie.

"Oliver is," the sound of Sara's voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he felt a pang of guilt in his chest. Letting Sara out of his embrace, he took a step back. "You should go with Felicity," Sara said.

"Hmmmm?"

"Go where exactly?" Felicity asked as she dropped her bag onto the table and sat down in front of her beloved tech toys.

"The charity gala."

It took a moment for Oliver to understand what Sara was saying. "Oh…," was all he managed to say in response. He glanced at Felicity.

Felicity was now too absorbed in the three screens before her to reply.

"It's settled then. Roy's helping upstairs with the private party, you two are attending a gala filled with stuffy rich people, and Diggle and I are patroling—after Diggle drops you off that is," Sara said heading to the training mat.

Felicity swerved in her chair, "Wait. Since when am I going to this gala thing?"

"Since like a minute ago. I don't like those things. It's more your scene," Sara said.

"Wha—my scene? Since when? I don't exactly fit in with those people," Felicity protested indignantly.

"You fit in more than I do." Sara threw her a pleading glance, "Please. Do it as a favor for me. Otherwise Ollie will have to go alone. I'll owe you one."

During this entire conversation, all Oliver could think was how bad this idea was. Going to a charity gala alone with Felicity after the day he'd been having was not what he needed to get his thoughts in order. He couldn't say anything however, without arousing suspicion from everyone in the room. It wasn't exactly odd that he went with Felicity, she'd gone with him before; she was his personal assistant at Queen Consolidated after all.

Felicity turned to look at him. "You'll owe me one too boss," she said through squinted eyes.

He couldn't help but laugh; it was cute. "Yes I will Miss Smoak."

"Fine," Felicity sighed and turned back to her computer screens. "I'll go."

* * *

**A/N: Just to make it clear, I don't really like Sara, but I'm not trying to make her unlikable, so I hope she's not coming off as an unlikeable character (not too much anyway). :-)  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here we are with chapter 4! :D Yesterday the site was being a little odd and I'm not sure if it said that I had updated the story, so just double-check and see if you've read all of the chapters.  
**

* * *

Oliver woke to find the spot beside him empty. On his nightstand he found a note stuck to his cell-phone. **_'Good Morning _****_, I found your phone in your duffle bag. Today, I decided to get some early training done. I'm not sure if I'll see you, but if I don't, have fun at the gala. :P I'll take good care of your city. _**

**_Love, Sara.' _**

He smiled and shook his head at the note. Yawning, he sat up and checked his phone. There were five missed calls from Sara, two from the office, and one from Diggle, but they were all from yesterday so he dismissed them. Then he checked his messages; there were only messages from Felicity. That's when he remembered the pictures.

The first picture was of him and Felicity, but only Felicity was looking at the camera; he was looking at her. He hadn't realized that Diggle had taken that picture. There was definitely a look on his face that implied more than friendship, but he didn't want to dwell on it. Instead, he scrolled through the rest of the pictures, finding one of the three of them and making it the wallpaper on his phone. He stopped when he found the one in which Felicity wasn't looking at the camera. She looked so—_'Stop! She's one of your best friends.' _

Setting his phone aside, he got out of bed and prepared himself for a _long _day. He was determined to return things to the way they had been. How had one dream managed to change his entire perception of Felicity? Sure, he was not blind, he'd seen from the very beginning that she was attractive, but he'd never thought of her as more than a friend. That wasn't entirely the truth, he had, on occasion wondered what it would be like to be with her, but those occasions had been rare and he had dismissed the thoughts as soon as they had entered his mind.

* * *

The meeting from yesterday resumed as soon as he arrived at work, but he found that he could not concentrate. Felicity wasn't there and she was never late. He tried to concentrate; this was important, they had to decide where to make certain budget costs. His phone lit up and within seconds he typed in the code. To his disappointment, the message was not from Felicity; instead was from an unknown number.

It took him a moment to fully understand the message. It was a picture of Felicity entering the Queen Consolidated building. The caption read: **_'Don't leave your pretty little things unattended, they may accidentally break when you're not looking.' _**As he read the message a second time, he gripped his phone tighter. A flare of rage surged through him and, without so much as a glance at the men in the room, he pushed away from the table and exited the room. There was only one thought on his mind as he strode through the halls of Queen Consolidated: he needed to find her.

To anyone who happened to be in the halls, or happened to glance in the right direction at the right moment, the CEO looked as if he was about to break something—various things actually. Those who were in the halls took one look at him and promptly pressed themselves flat against the wall to allow him more than enough room to pass. The word "enraged," was an understatement. He was practically seething as he stormed through the halls.

With every step he took, a new flare of rage surged through him. The distance to his office was suddenly too much. He grew more impatient with every second that passed. He wasn't even sure that Felicity would be there, but the picture was of her entering the building, which meant that she would most probably have made her way to his office. As he stepped into the elevator, he was distinctly aware of the fact that various employees all but jumped out.

The doors of the elevator finally opened and he let out a breath as soon as he spotted her. She was organizing some papers on her desk, her back was to him, but he could see that she was unscathed. Much to his displeasure, he noted that the red dress she wore was the same dress in the picture. He took a few breaths to calm himself before he approached her; he decided that he didn't want her to know about the picture. It was Slade, of that, he was sure and he didn't want to alarm her.

"Hey," he said softly.

She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice and turned swiftly to face him. "Oliver, don't do that!"

He forced a chuckle. "Sorry…You're late."

She looked at her watch. "I know… I'm really sorry. I overslept," she pointed to the mug placed on his desk, "I made you coffee to make up for it."

He smiled, "Thank you."

She turned back to her desk and picked up the stack of papers. When she turned and found him standing in the same spot, her eyes grew wide. "Oliver, don't you have a meeting?"

He remembered that he had walked out on it, and cleared his throat. "I… um…yes I was just there, but something's come up and I need to call Diggle."

He could almost see the gears begin to shift in her head. She straightened up and was suddenly on high alert. "What is it?"

"Nothing Arrow related," he lied. "Can you just do me a favor and go back in there. Tell the men I'm sorry, I'll be there soon."

"Okay," she set the papers down and headed for the elevators.

Suddenly Oliver felt more than a little distressed at the thought of her leaving his line of vision. "Felicity," she stopped and turned to look at him, head tilted to one side in question, "on second thought, it can wait. Let's just go back to the meeting now."

He could see that she found the whole thing strange, but she said nothing.

It took every once of restraint on his part not to put his hand on the small of her back as he walked beside her. He wanted some level of physical contact, however small, just to feel as if he was in control of the situation to feel as if he could better shield her.

"Oliver?"

"Hmm?"

"Why does everyone look like deer caught in headlights?" Felicity asked under her breath.

It was true. As they walked by, people pressed themselves against the wall and stared wide-eyed. They all looked very afraid and confused, he imagined that he had looked very angry as he walked the same halls earlier. "I'm not sure," he leaned in to reply.

The managers from the various departments, dressed in their expensive designer suits looked no different than the rest of the confused employees as they entered the conference room.

"I must excuse myself for my earlier departure gentlemen. Something important came up and I had to deal with it swiftly," he said, flashing his billion-dollar-smile.

"Of course Mr. Queen," one of the men replied.

* * *

Diggle was waiting in his office when they returned from the meeting. Making sure to close the glass door, Oliver quickly pulled up the message and wordlessly handed the phone over to Diggle. He watched as Diggle's expression shifted from one of surprise to one of infuriation.

"I want eyes on her at all times," Oliver stated simply.

Diggle nodded curtly and glanced at Felicity who was blissfully typing away at her desk. "I take it you didn't tell her."

"No." He ran a hand through his hair and turned his gaze to the blond in question. "I don't want her to worry. I know that she has a right to know, but I also know what it is to live in fear, always looking over your shoulder."

Diggle sighed and gave him a disapproving look. "I understand what you mean, but in this case I think it's best that we tell her. This is Slade we're talking about, if he really wants to get to her, he will find a way."

"No he won't," he said through gritted teeth.

"Oliver, I don't want to see her get hurt either. Tell her, that way she'll be more careful too."

"Find him. Use whatever resources you need to use." He moved away from the window and sat down at his desk. "When you patrol tonight, stay close to the gala. I wouldn't be surprised if Slade made an appearance. Roy will be with Thea and ask Sara to stay close to my mother."

* * *

Felicity shoved the last of the papers in her desk drawer. Those would have to be dealt with tomorrow. She turned her chair to face the city through the glass. It had been a long day and she was ready to go home and crawl under the covers, but she couldn't do that. She had a charity gala to go to.

A warm hand came to rest on her shoulder. She didn't jump this time, she knew it was him. "Long day?" He asked in that soft tone he usually reserved for her.

"Yeah…," she replied without looking at him. The city below was alive as everyone headed home from work yet, it looked peaceful. She couldn't hear the car horns or the plethora of voices below, but she imagined the constant drone of noise and smiled. If she hadn't met Oliver, she'd probably be among the multitude of people crossing the street. She'd be heading home to get a good night's rest, or possibly heading out with a few friends from work. It was moments like these, after seemingly endless days, that she wished her life were simple again. She regretted nothing however; Oliver was one of the best people she had ever met.

"We don't have to stay long tonight. We can just make a quick appearance and then go home, or do something fun."

She tensed up slightly. The words sounded strange, something a boyfriend might say to a girlfriend, or a husband to a wife. _'It's just your imagination Felicity_,' she told herself. She looked up at him and gives him a small smile, "No. It's for the company's public image. We should stay."

He gave her shoulder a squeeze and then dropped his hand. "We'll see what we feel like doing when we get there."

Stifling a yawn, she got up and grabed her bag, "I better go get ready."

"I'll walk down with you."

* * *

**A/N: The next chapter will be longer. I promise. I hope you guys liked it! Let me know what you think. :)  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So... here we have chapter 5! I know that I didn't update yesterday, but I wasn't entirely happy with this one and rewrote it a few times. In any case, I hope you guys like it. As promised, it is longer. :) **

* * *

The car pulled up in front of her house and as Diggle opened the door, he gestured to a car parked a little ways away on the other side of the street. The glasses were tinted, but Oliver knew that there were two security guards in the car. He let out a breath, feeling just a little more at ease knowing that they would be looking out for Felicity.

Diggle cleared his throat and Oliver tore his gaze from the car and walked to the front door. He rang the doorbell and after a few moments, the door was opened. The sight he was met with was not one that he had been ready for. Felicity stood in the doorway, wearing a one-shouldered, floor-length gown of a deep red color. The fabric flowed down to the floor smoothly. She had let her hair loose and he smiled when he saw that she had left her curls in their natural state. She looked beautiful.

Diggle whistled low, and the sound drew Oliver out of his daze. "You look amazing Felicity," he said.

He watched the red creep up to her cheeks. "Thank you," she averted her eyes to the floor, "Give me a second let me just get my bag."

He didn't turn to look at Diggle for fear that his eyes would reveal something that he'd rather stayed hidden. This was going to be harder than he had thought it would be.

Felicity returned, a champagne colored clutch in her hands. She closed the door behind her, locked it, and entered the car. Oliver followed, taking one last look at the car across the street before stepping inside.

The gala was held at the immense ballroom of the Rose hotel. Dozens of photographers lined the entrance of the hotel. Oliver stole a glance at Felicity, whose gaze seemed to be fixed on the window. She didn't say anything, but he knew she was a bit nervous. The presence of photographers always made her just a little bit uncomfortable.

He hesitated for a moment before putting his hand over hers. An unexpected bolt of electricity shot through him and he retracted his hand. By the way that she snatched her hand away, he guessed that she had felt it too, but she didn't look at him. The car stopped and Diggle made his way to their side. Oliver stepped out of the car and straightened his suit jacket.

"I told Sara and Roy to be on high alert. I'll be close tonight," Diggle said under his breath.

Oliver nodded and then extended his hand to Felicity. She took it, stepping out and thanking Diggle. By now, the cameras had begun flashing and Oliver smiled. Felicity slid her hand out of his and he placed his hand on the small of her back as he led her inside.

An explosion of noise hit them as the ballroom doors were opened. The room was a plethora of designer suits and dresses, sparkling jewels, champagne, fake smiles, and gossip. Taking a deep breath, Oliver plastered his signature billion-dollar smile upon his face.

"Here we go," he heard Felicity say beside him.

Sooner than he would have liked, they were cornered by various potential business partners and were forced to strike up a conversation with them. Under normal circumstances, he and Felicity would have split up and talked to various different people, but tonight, he made sure that she was never more than a few feet away.

He was tense. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him that Slade would make an appearance tonight and waiting for that moment to come was agony. Slade knew how to play the game well and Oliver didn't like it.

"Oliver," Felicity said as she finished her conversation with a young multi-millionaire whose name escaped Oliver, "I know I'm going to sound like your mother—not that I think I sound like her, because let's face it, she's very imposing and demanding—not that that's a bad thing, I just—" She slapped him playfully on the shoulder as she saw his amused expression. "What I _meant _to ask you is: are you okay? You've been tense. You've also been scanning the room frequently. Do you expect something to happen tonight?"

"No," he lied. "I just have a lot on my mind, that's all." He could see that she didn't believe him. "Would you like to dance Miss Smoak?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, indicating that she was well aware of the fact that he was trying to distract her, but then she smiled and took his hand. He led her onto the dance floor and placed one hand on her waist and held one of her hands with the other. The band had taken a break and the classical music had been replaced with someone's playlist. He vaguely recognized the song as _Gravity _from Coldplay, but he wasn't really listening. For the first time that night, he allowed himself to relax.

His thoughts drifted, and he saw her sitting on the couch in his home, he felt her warm embrace. Closing his eyes, he banished the images of the dream. He wasn't good for her; he was broken and he wouldn't allow her to enter his darkness. He couldn't bear it if she did, because she was the light that he had come to _need _more than he had any right to. _'She's your friend,' _he reminded himself for what seemed like the tenth time.

He opened his eyes, and found himself looking directly into her questioning blue-green ones. He hoped that she could not see his conflicting feelings—he wouldn't have worried that she could see through him at the beginning, but now? Now he wasn't sure exactly how well she knew him. _'Sara would see it,' _he thought. A wave of guilt threatened to drown him as he thought about her—his girlfriend.

And then all feeling is instantly flushed away as he heard Diggle's voice through the coms unit. "Oliver, incoming."

Before he even had time to turn around, another familiar voice spoke: "Good evening Mr. Queen." Slade was there, dressed impeccably, his eye patch making him stand out amongst the crowd. He felt Felicity's grip on his shoulder tighten and he attempted, in vain, to quell the rage within him.

"Mr. Wilson," he managed through gritted teeth.

Slade flashed him a rehearsed smile and turned to look at Felicity. "I was wondering, Miss Smoak, if you would honor me with a dance," he said calmly.

"No," Oliver said, his voice low.

Slade was unfazed. He simply tilted his head to the side, "Now, now Mr. Queen, we wouldn't want to be rude, would we? Besides, I think the lady can speak for herself."

Felicity looked surprisingly calm and nodded curtly in consent when their eyes met. Oliver didn't release his hold on her. "It's alright," she said, giving him a small smile of reassurance.

The smile did nothing to reassure him. He couldn't let her go. He couldn't hand her to this mad man. Slowly, as if she was afraid she would frighten him, she pulled away and he could do nothing, but let go. He watched helplessly as Slade rested a hand on her waist and took one of her hands in his. The anger was building up and he didn't know how much more of this he could take. If the song didn't end soon, he knew it would end badly; he would make a scene.

He clenched and unclenched his fists, hoping that the action would distract him. He knew that this was all part of the plan, Slade was doing this to get to him. He knew that Oliver couldn't do anything at a function like this one. It would look very odd if CEO Oliver Queen lost it, simply because someone was dancing with his assistant. He fixed his gaze on them, but he avoided looking at Slade's hands. The fact that he was touching her was too much.

A waiter passed holding a tray of drinks and Oliver took two, gulping them down within seconds. "Oliver, stay calm. They're just dancing. As far as I know, Slade has come alone," he heard Diggle say.

Seconds passed like hours and Oliver found it harder and harder to control his anger. Finally, Slade released his hold on Felicity and she walked back to him. Before he could say a word, she spoke: "I'm fine Oliver."

Her words didn't stop him from scanning her for any indication that Slade had done something. He knew she was telling the truth of course, he'd been watching them the whole time. The message that Slade had sent that morning flashed in his mind and suddenly Oliver was unsure of the fact that the two men in the car across the street could adequately protect Felicity.

"Oliver, listen to me," she placed a hand on his cheek, her eyes pleaded him to listen—to trust her, to believe her. "He's playing mind games Oliver. Don't let him get to you. If he really wanted to hurt me, he would have done so already."

"_Don't—_Don't say that. I won't let anything happen to you, do you understand me? Nothing is going to happen to you," he said sternly. She nodded, and forced a small smile.

Slade didn't stay long. Diggle reported about an hour later, that Slade had left. He really was playing mind games, but Oliver knew him and he knew that this was only the beginning. Slade had a plan and he would make a move, of that, Oliver was sure.

* * *

The cool wind blew against her face and she closed her eyes, enjoying the serene atmosphere. With every breath that she took, she tried to banish the thoughts that leapt haphazardly in her mind. Her brain was working in overdrive.

There was Slade, whom she had danced with earlier that evening. The encounter had shaken her at first, but he had said nothing in particular to her. He had talked about the gala and the façade that everyone was putting on, but he hadn't mentioned anything else. Oddly enough, she found that she became calmer as the minutes passed. Slade was a mad man, but he had a presence that demanded tranquility and trust from others. That perhaps, was his most dangerous quality. The longer they had danced, the more she became aware of the fact that he had no intention of hurting her; he had been playing a mind game with Oliver. She didn't know what his ultimate plan was, but part of her knew that if he intended to hurt her later on, he wouldn't have much trouble doing so. She believed in Oliver, but Oliver had other things to think about. Oliver couldn't protect everyone.

Oliver. She sighed. He had been acting strange; perhaps he had too much on his mind as well. Being closer to him however, was not helping her discard her crush on him. Coming with him tonight had not been a good idea. There were too many moments in which she allowed herself, briefly, to believe that he felt something for her: the moment he touched her in the car and the bolt of electricity had shot through her, the moment they danced in which he seemed so at war with himself, the moment Slade had arrived. The rational part of her mind knew that she imagined the various emotions she had seen in his eyes at those moments.

She would never truly stop loving Oliver. She knew that without a doubt, but she would move on. She would be his friend and his partner, but she would move on.

"Felicity?" He sounded worried.

"Hey," she said smiling slightly. "I just needed some air."

He came to stand beside her on the balcony. For a while they stood side by side engulfed in a comfortable silence. He broke the silence. "You know what? You ask me all the time how I'm feeling. How are _you _feeling?"

"Honestly?" She asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes."

"I'm not really sure. My mind seems to be in a million places at once."

He said nothing for some time and then he turned towards her, "Tell me what you're thinking," he said softly.

"I'm thinking about Slade—about how he plays mind games. I'm thinking about you—about how you probably have a million things on your mind as well."

He smiled a genuine smile, "Always thinking about others…" Taking one last look at the city, he gently took her by the elbow as he usually did. "We should go."

She had trouble keeping her eyes open as they drove through the city. She was exhausted. The closer they were to her home, the heavier her eyelids got. She wasn't exactly sure at what point she drifted off, but soon, Oliver was waking her.

"Felicity."

Slowly, she opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times. In her drowsy state, she didn't register the fact that she had curled up against Oliver.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but we're here."

She took Oliver's hand and stepped out of the car. As the cold night air brushed against her skin, she became more alert. Oliver followed her to the door, and she opened it swiftly. She turned towards him, intending to thank him, but she only managed to gasp slightly when she realized that he was only inches away. Some part of her mind screamed at her to take a step back, but she was frozen.

It was too dark to see clearly, but his expression was pained. He was at war with himself and she wondered exactly what the war was about. He leaned in and his lips brushed her cheek for a brief moment before he took a step back.

"Good night Felicity."

"Good night Oliver."

As she closed the door, she didn't allow her mind to wander into the dangerous corner that would convince her that Oliver was in love with her. She kept her mind blank as she showered and climbed under the covers, thankfully she was exhausted and fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

"Oliver," Diggle began in a warning tone as he drove to the mansion.

He didn't know what to say, whatever it was that Diggle was about to say—or leave unsaid, Oliver knew that he was going to be right. "Not now Diggle."

"We will talk about this soon Oliver," Diggle said sternly.

He gave Diggle no reply. When he arrived at the mansion, he thanked Diggle, kissed Sara, and briefly told her what had happened at the gala. When Sara began to ask for further details, Oliver told her that he was tired and promised to tell her everything tomorrow.

He did not sleep; he was worried and confused. His mind replayed the entire evening again and again; the image of Slade at the gala, so close to Felicity was too much. As if this wasn't enough, he fought against the part of his mind that felt something more than friendship for Felicity. Within a few hours, that part of his mind had found a way to expand and he needed to repress it.

The most vivid image that found its way to the foreground of his mind however, was the way Felicity had fallen asleep curled up against him in the car. That moment had mirrored the dream far too accurately. He sighed in frustration, shifting his position on the bed for what seemed like the hundredth time. It was surprising that Sara hadn't woken up; he'd been tossing and turning every ten minutes. The guilt seeped in once more as he thought of Sara. He needed to regain control of his feelings and he needed to do it fast.

* * *

**A/N: ****I hope you guys liked it... Like I said, I re-wrote this one a few times before I was happy with it. :) Let me know what you think. **

** P.S. I have a bit of the next chapter written, this one was originally a little bit longer, but it made more sense to end this chapter here.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Chapter 6 ! I know it's late, but it's my longest chapter yet and I really like how this one turned out. :) I hope you guys like it too. **

* * *

She walked through the halls of Queen Consolidated cursing herself, with each click of her heels, for not wearing her panda flats. She let out a huff of annoyance as she dropped the stack of files on the desk of the head of the IT department. Her former boss was nowhere to be found and she was about to exit his office when he walked in, coffee in one hand, a donut in the other.

"Felicity," Daniel said pleasantly as he spotted her.

"Hey Daniel, I just came by to drop off the files concerning the various updates and upgrades we've made technologically in the other departments."

"Thank you," he said sitting down at his desk.

She turned and was about to walk out when he stopped her. "Felicity, I usually wouldn't ask, but the whole office has been talking about it…what had the CEO so upset yesterday morning?"

"Upset?" Felicity thought back to the previous morning. She hadn't noticed that Oliver had been upset. Sure, he had been slightly distracted, but these days he always was. "I didn't notice anything," Felicity answered honestly.

Daniel scoffed, "You're kidding right?" Felicity shrugged and Daniel's eyes grew wide, "You're not kidding?" Felicity shook her head. "You _must _have noticed _something_ he was beyond infuriated. People tell me he looked like he was about to break everything in his line of vision."

Now Felicity was really confused. There was no way she would have missed that. "Whoever your source is gave you some bad information," she said simply.

"That's just it, my source consists of about twenty people if not more."

Felicity's eyebrows drew together. "I really have no idea what you're talking about."

Daniel shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. "Hmmm… It's alright, I just thought if anyone would know if would be you."

"No, sorry," she said, shrugging again. She made her way to Oliver's office immediately however, obviously she'd missed something important.

He was in the middle of a call when she returned to the top floor, so she sat down at her desk and waited. She could feel his eyes on her. He had a habit of staring straight at her when he was on the phone instead of turning towards the perfectly pleasant view of the city to his right. With some effort, she was able to keep her eyes on her computer screen.

As he began to say his goodbyes to the person on the other end of the line, she stood. He had just hung up when she entered his office. He looked up at her and gave her a small smile. Felicity didn't return his smile; she was going to get answers. Crossing her arms over her chest, she sat down on the chair in front of his desk. His smile had faded, and she could see that he was trying to figure out what was wrong. She gave him a moment and then spoke: "Oliver, you've been lying to me."

She thought she saw a flash of panic in his ice-blue eyes, but as soon as it had come, it had gone. He said nothing.

"I've been asking you what was wrong, and you've been saying 'nothing'. I hope you know that I didn't believe you for a second."

He leaned back in his chair, "Felicity, I never expected you to believe that, but I don't want you to worry. I have a lot of things on my mind, but I can handle things on my own," he smiled to reassure her.

Felicity tilted her head to the side, "Really? The whole office is talking about something that happened yesterday morning. You apparently looked like you were ready to tear down the building."

Instantly, his smile vanished and he sat up straight. He sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face. Then he stood and stared out at the city below them. She'd caught him; he wouldn't be able to avert her this time. She knew him though, and she knew that she would have to proceed with caution if she wanted an honest answer from him. She waited in silence.

The clock ticked as the time passed. It was so silent that Felicity was sure she would be able to hear a needle drop. Oliver did not move a muscle, but she knew that there was a violent struggle occurring in his mind; she only hoped that the light would win. Finally, he turned towards her and she stood, ready to close the distance between them and comfort him if she needed to.

"Yesterday you were late," he began, the anger already present in his voice. "You were late and I was already in the meeting. I received a message on my phone," he reached into his pocket and retrieved the phone. "The message was from Slade." Oliver turned the screen towards her.

She didn't have to move closer to him to recognize the red dress she had worn to work yesterday. Fear engulfed her just as it had the previous night when Slade had first made an appearance. She moved closer and read the text: **_'Don't leave your pretty little things unattended, they may accidentally break when you're not looking.' _**Last night Slade had made no threats, but it was clear that, aside from the mind games, he had a plan. The fear within her grew.

When she looked into Oliver's enraged eyes however, she remembered exactly why she had come in the first place. _This _had sent him over the edge; this was the reason that he had stormed through QC as if he was going to kill someone. He had known since yesterday morning…

"You didn't think it to tell me about this yesterday Oliver?!" She couldn't _believe _this. She couldn't even formulate the words to express her outrage.

"Felicity—"

"No! Are you _insane_!? I had no idea! He was _there _last night Oliver!" She ran her hand over her face and. She turned away from him and walked a few steps in the opposite direction. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of being watched. She whirled to face him once more, "I don't know what exactly you thought you were doing by _not _telling me about a threat made against _me, _but you were _wrong_!"

He stood still, watching her, his eyes a mix of sorrow and determination. She could see that he was rethinking the decision he had made, but at the same time some part of his mind was resolved to stand firmly by that decision. The stubborn part of him made her even angrier.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you Oliver. _You," _She took several steps until she stood right in front of him, "don't get to make any decisions for me. I am a grown woman and _I _make the decisions concerning _my _life." She let out a strangled noise of frustration and turned away from him, trying to calm herself. It wasn't working. "It would have been nice to know, yesterday when I was _alone _at home."

"You weren't alone," he said.

Some part of her had known that from the moment she saw the message. Oliver would have immediately tried to ensure that she would be safe; that is what he did for his friends. It was meant as a protective gesture, but it was the wrong thing to say at that particular moment because she turned to face him once more, eyes wide, cheeks flaming.

"_Excuse me_?!"

Realizing what he had said he hesitated for a second before reiterating the exact same phrase: "You weren't alone. I made sure that there were security guards nearby."

"You mean you had me watched," she corrected. There was no room for denial.

Oliver set his jaw and took a step closer to her so that they were now inches apart. "Yes."

She let out a breath and promptly turned away from him. She had only taken two steps before he took hold of her arm. She did not turn to face him. "Felicity, I'm sorry. I—"

She had seen Sara as soon as the elevator doors had opened, so when Sara hesitated for a moment before entering the office, Felicity looked down at the floor knowing that Oliver would not finish whatever it was that he was about to say. It didn't matter; she needed to calm down. When Sara entered the room and asked: "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something," Felicity did not look up at her, she simply pulled out of Oliver's grasp and walked out of the office and straight into the elevators.

* * *

His first impulse was to go after her and he began to do so, but he stopped when Sara's hand came to rest on his shoulder. "Give her some space," she said.

Oliver wanted to argue with her. He didn't. He was afraid that Sara would realize that there was something off. He was afraid that she would clearly see the battle that had been raging inside his mind for days now. She knew him well—so well that he sometimes felt as if she could see right into his mind and read every thought.

They were almost one in the same. Their experiences had molded them into two sides of the same stone. She understood things about him that no one could ever hope to understand. Oliver hoped that no one would ever come close to understanding the dark past and thoughts he and Sara had shared because no one should have to go through that.

It was because of the fact that she was just as scared, broken, angry, and dark as he was that he allowed himself to be with Sara. She didn't bring any measure of light into his life, but she allowed him to simply be the person that the island had created. He didn't have to hide anything from Sara. He didn't have to lie to Sara. He didn't have to try to be the old Oliver with Sara.

This is what gave him a sense of comfort. To an extent, being with Sara also allowed him peace, for he could show all of himself and she would know, understand, and accept without question. It was almost as if their relationship had been, since their reconnection on the island, an unspoken agreement to comfort one another. Just as she knew, understood, and accepted him, he knew, understood and accepted her.

And what of love? To that question, Oliver didn't have a definite answer. Oliver knew that in reality, there was an answer to that question, but he was afraid of the answer and that in itself was an indication that the love was not the kind of love that built a long-lasting relationship. He loved her of course, but he wasn't sure to what extent. He was also unsure of the extent to which Sara loved _him_.

Sara was good for him. He was good for her. His mind inevitably turned towards the dream and he found that Sara just didn't fit into that type of dynamic; the peaceful married life he had dreamt of.

"She'll come around, but you should trust her more. Felicity may be sweet, but I think you sometimes forget that she's a heck of a lot smarter than you think. She can handle the truth. Give her some time and apologize to her later," Sara said pulling Oliver out of his thoughts.

He nodded in affirmation.

"Let's go to lunch," Sara said, smiling.

Oliver returned her smile and gave her a quick kiss before following her into the elevators.

* * *

When he returned from his lunch with Sara, he found that Felicity still had not returned to her desk. He considered waiting for her to return and even sat down at his desk, reading a few papers of a contract. He found that he couldn't concentrate however, as the image of Felicity walking away from him replayed in his mind. He stood, buttoned his jacket and entered the elevators; he would retrieve her himself.

The IT department at Queen Consolidated was different from any other department in the company. Usually, Oliver found that when he walked around the other levels of the building, people would scramble to tidy up their desks and look extra busy. There were also certain levels in which the employees simply stared at him as he passed. The IT department, as previously stated, was different. No one scrambled to tidy their messy and cluttered desks, no one made an extra effort to look busy, and no one stared at him as he passed.

Everyone he passed seemed to be completely absorbed in the screens in front of them. Oliver recognized Felicity's look of complete and utter concentration, whenever she sat in front of the computer, in the faces of almost every person in the IT department. The desks in the IT department were, for the most part, spotless. It was as if he wasn't even there. Not one person looked up to acknowledge his presence purely because of the fact that they were unaware of his presence.

There was a tiny pinch of guilt that pricked at his heart; _this _is where Felicity truly belonged. There was no question. He had taken that away from her without so much as consulting her first. It had been a selfish decision; he needed her.

He walked through the department, his eyes scanning the room for a blond head. He found two or three, but he saw immediately that they didn't belong to Felicity. Finally, he decided to ask someone if they had seen her; she was here somewhere, of that, he was sure. He stopped near the desk of a raven-haired man who was staring intently at a list of codes in a large file folder through his glasses.

Oliver cleared his throat slightly, but the man didn't look up. The man began to murmur to himself and as he went on, the confused expression on his face cleared. In contrast, Oliver's confusion increased. Whatever was making sense to the man was pure gibberish to him. Oliver cleared his throat once more: "Excuse me, I was wondering if you've seen Felicity Smoak."

"Head of the IT department," he said absentmindedly. Then he looked up and blinked a couple of times. "Oh, Mr Queen, I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was you. Felicity is with the head of the IT department in his office. She's trying to help him update the firewall and think of a solution for the servers. You see the servers—"

Sensing that he was going to get an explanation in gibberish from this man, Oliver smiled and stopped him. "Thank you."

The man nodded and promptly returned to the codes on the papers. Oliver walked to the back of the department and knocked on the door. He received two unintelligible replies, which he did not understand, but he took them as an invitation to come in. Felicity was sitting beside Daniel, the head of the IT department.

Daniel was not at all what one would expect an IT expert to look like—then again, neither was Felicity. He had dark brown hair and green eyes. He was tall and lean and although Oliver wouldn't go so far as to call him muscular, it was evident that Daniel went to the gym. Daniel also took his job seriously, and was always dressed impeccably. He didn't wear a full suit, but he did wear a dress shirt and dress pants.

Daniel was the first to look up. "Yes? Mr. Queen! Good afternoon sir."

Felicity's eyes tore away from the screen and came to rest on him. "Hi Oli—Mr. Queen."

"Mr. Reed, Miss Smoak," Oliver said.

"Is there something I can do for you Mr. Queen?" Daniel asked politely.

It was at that moment that Oliver realized he had no idea what he intended to say to Felicity. "Um… I just came by to see if I could have a word with Miss Smoak."

Daniel looked at Felicity and she stood. "I'll be right back. If you manage to figure it out before I come back, write down what you did, so that I know how to fix it should it ever happen again."

Daniel scoffed, "I highly doubt that I'll figure it out on my own. You're help is the only thing that gives me a _chance _of figuring this thing out."

Felicity smiled brightly. "I'll be right back," she repeated.

They closed the door and Oliver decided he could say what he needed to say there. The head of the IT department's office was cut off from the rest of the department by a hallway. "Felicity, I'm sorry. I was wrong to keep that from you. I just—I don't know. I didn't want you to worry, or live in fear. You have so much on your plate already."

Felicity sighed, but she smiled and he let out a breath. She wasn't mad anymore. "I know. Your intentions are good, but you should tell me these things. I signed up to be part of this and I understood the dangers that would come with it from the beginning. My life, remember? Don't do that again."

He shook his head, "I promise."

"Good. Now, do you need me upstairs, or can I stay here and help out?"

He smiled slightly as her eyes lit up at the thought of staying here to do what she was truly good at. "You can stay. I'll manage."

"Are you sure? Remember, the phone is to your right. You pick up the phone and _dial _the set of numbers that belong to the specific person. The Internet is the little circle with the _fox _around it. When you click—"

He laughed. "Yes, I'm sure."

She laughed too and gave him a peck on the cheek before she turned and headed back into Daniel's office.

* * *

Sara jumped off the salmon ladder just as Diggle entered the Foundry. "Hey," she said.

"Hey. You got here early."

"Yeah."

Diggle took off his suit jacket and headed into the bathroom to change. Sara grabbed her water bottle and drained it then wiped off the sweat with a towel.

Diggle emerged from the bathroom, dressed in black sweatpants and a grey shirt. Oddly, enough, Oliver still hadn't entered the Foundry. "Where's Oliver?" Sara asked.

"He went home to change. I think he also said, he's picking up Felicity."

"Everything okay between them again?"

"Yep. All good in paradise," Diggle said turning on the computers.

About twenty minutes later, Oliver and Felicity entered the Foundry. Felicity's voice filled the room as she told Oliver all about some problem she had spent the better part of the day trying to fix in the IT department. As usual, she talked fast and she used various hand gestures.

Sara looked at them. Today, Felicity had opted for comfortable clothing again. Her hair was messy, glasses in place, and she wore yoga pants and a t-shirt that was slightly too big for her. Oliver was dressed in his usual workout clothes. It wasn't their clothing that caught her attention however, it was the way that Oliver was conducting himself. Despite the fact that they had now reached the computers, Oliver hadn't greeted her or Diggle. He was absorbed in what Felicity was saying.

Judging by the technical terms that Felicity used, Sara was sure that Oliver didn't understand a word. Yet, he listened, smiling ever so slightly. A smile that Sara hadn't seen in a while—a real smile. His eyes were full of amusement, adoration, pride, and something else…

Sara looked over at Diggle, who was rigorously beating a punching bag. Diggle didn't meet her eyes, but he seemed perfectly at ease. To him, this scene was nothing new. And then she realized. Looking back at Oliver and Felicity Sara understood that Oliver had unconsciously fallen in love with the IT girl long ago.

* * *

**A/N: So there you have it... chapter 6! I really am quite happy with this one. Let me know what you think, you're reviews keep me writing! :) **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Yaaay! I'm back! Where have I been? Well, life has been keeping me extremely busy. I also went on vacation, so I have had next to no time to write. Then I also had to catch up on Arrow and OMG! SO much has happened and... OMG. I debated incorporating some of what has happened into my story but I decided against it for now. In any case, I hope you guys are still with me and I hope you like this chapter! **

* * *

The sun, high in the sky, burned his eyes as he stepped out of the house. Squinting, he stood still for a moment to allow his eyes the opportunity to adjust. Everything around him was bathed in an almost ethereal light. He had been in his back yard hundreds of times during the day and yet, never had it looked like this.

The warm wind that blew touched every inch of exposed skin in a soft and caressing manner. The distant squeals filled the air with a careless joy that seemed almost impossible, but it wasn't impossible for he heard them. And then he saw them. The sources of the squeals were running towards him, arms open, blue eyes bright, laughing freely.

He squatted down and waited for their tiny legs to carry them to him. The girl, his princess, trailed slightly behind her older brother; her blond curls blew in the direction of the wind, her eyes were bright, and her cheeks flamed. The boy, about six, was lanky but ran fast, his hair was slightly ruffled by the wind, and his smile was wide.

They ran into his arms one after the other and he caught them laughing as he allowed them to topple him over onto his back. When their laughter had died down the girl rested her head on his chest while the boy turned over on his back to face the sky.

"Daddy, we missed you. It was only two days, but still…." The girl shifted her head and her fingers began to drum on his chest. "Don't go again."

"It was only a business trip," he said, kissing the top of her head. "I won't be going on one of those again anytime soon. Believe me, I missed you guys too."

He felt her shift her head again as she nodded against his chest. Then she giggled, "Good."

After a moment he sat up and they sat up with him. He ruffled the boy's hair and kissed the top of his head. "Where's your mother?"

The boy pointed at the large tree at the other end of the massive plot of land. He stood, lifting the girl in his arms and taking his son's hand in his own and together they walked. The tiny voice of his daughter rang in his ear as she told him about all he had missed: baking, movies, a play date, and bedtime stories.

Although the tree was large and provided a significant amount of shade, the light here seemed to be only slightly dimmer than the ethereal glow that surrounded him. He set his daughter down gently as he approached the sleeping form of his wife, who was peacefully sprawled on the grass: hair fanned out, glasses askew, tablet a few inches from her fingertips, a small smile on her lips.

He watched her for a moment, not wanting to disturb her. Especially not when she looked so peaceful—so beautiful. He had missed her terribly while he'd been away and the selfish part of himself kicked in. He wanted to see her smiling at him; he wanted to look into her bright blue eyes. "Felicity?" Her fingers twitched ever so slightly and after a moment her hand moved to her face. She rubbed her eyes slowly and let out a content yawn.

He never saw her smile or looked into her bright blue eyes, for at that moment, he bolted upright and found himself breathing heavily in a dark room. The ethereal light was gone, the warmth had been snatched away, and the joyful squeals slipped away from his memory with every labored breath that he took.

The cold air stung his exposed skin and, running his hands through his hair, he blinked furiously. He turned to look at the empty spot beside him and realized that Sara was gone. His eyes scanned the room, landing on the figure that rested her head against the large window. He was sure that she could hear him breathing heavily and yet she did not move, nor did she glance in his direction.

And then he realized. She must have thought that he had been having a nightmare. They were no strangers to nightmares and they had learned over the years that sometimes it was better to let the scene play out completely rather than waking the person. But this hadn't been a nightmare. It had been a good dream and those were rare.

His eyes fixed on Sara whom sat engulfed in the shadows, he sighed. The guilt began to seep in and it, like the air, was cold. Of course he had no control over the dream, but there was some part of his mind that was responsible and that made him feel guilty. He realized, as he had already come to know, that some part of him wanted the life he could never have—a normal life centered around family. That wasn't what made him feel guilty however; it was the fact that he wanted to share this life with Felicity.

The scenes replayed in his mind and he let out a low bitter laugh. None of it fit: not the children, the wife, the joyous squealing, the light, the warmth…none of it. His world was one of shadows, solitude, blood, and grief. His eyes landed on Sara once more. _Their _world was one of shadows and grief.

He looked down at his hands, turning them over as if expecting a wedding band to appear out of thin air to shed some semblance of light in the darkened room. He couldn't have that life, but Felicity could. One day he would let her go, or she would break away from the shadows and live that life. He smiled at that thought. She fit perfectly into the scene; she was light, warmth, and happiness. One day she would live that exact scene with a different man—a man who _would _see the smile and the bright blue orbs behind the glasses. He only hoped that he would be allowed to see a small glimpse of Felicity living that life.

He should have gone to Sara and told her that he was fine. He should have gone to Sara and asked her if she was fine. He should have kissed her and convinced her to get some sleep. He did none of these things. Instead, he lay back down and allowed himself to drift off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Felicity hummed to herself as she waited for the coffee maker to finish making her coffee. She stifled a yawn and began tapping her fingers on the counter top impatiently. As the last drop poured into her cup, she yawned and picked up her cup.

She stepped out of the elevator and her eyes immediately landed onto the form of Oliver. His head was placed in his arms against the desk and she wondered for a moment if he was sleeping. Evidently, he had not gotten much sleep the previous night either. The selfish part of her brain reasoned that she was tired too, and that Oliver was perfectly capable of going down ten floors to get his own coffee. She was already in his office before the caring part of her brain told her that Oliver probably needed the coffee more than she did.

She set the cup down as silently as she could. She hadn't even fully turned before Oliver spoke. "Felicity?"

She turned to look at him, but he hadn't raised his head. "Yes?"

"Thank you." Now he raised his head. The first thing that Felicity noticed, was the fact that Oliver looked more rested than she had seen him in ages. Either Oliver had had a perfectly pleasant night, or the man had somehow managed to look even more handsome than usual despite his lack of sleep. She cursed her genes. Unlike Oliver, _she _looked like she'd been thrown into the washing machine.

Oliver studied her carefully as he brought the cup of coffee to his lips.. "You look tired," he said gently. It wasn't meant as an insult; he was simply worried.

"I am aware…I'm going to make some coffee so that I can stay awake." She stifled another yawn.

Oliver's eyebrows drew together and he extended his arm towards her, offering her the cup of coffee she had just laid on his desk. "I'm sorry. Here."

She shook her head and smiled slightly. "I'll go make another one."

He retracted his arm slowly and set the cup on his desk never removing his eyes from hers. "You didn't sleep well?"

Immediately she thought of the text that Oliver had shown her the day before. The image had been burned into her memory. Oliver had people watching her, but she knew that they would be no match for Slade if he came for her. It was the reason she hadn't been able to fall asleep, but she wouldn't admit that to Oliver. He had far too much to worry about as it was.

"No. I—I didn't. It's nothing Oliver," she said before he could begin to worry, "I just couldn't fall asleep that's all…."

Oliver's frown deepened. He knew, but she expected no less of him. She didn't try to lie to him; she simply smiled at him. She could see that her smile did nothing to ease his rage and worry. After a moment however, he replaced his frown with a small smile.

"Sit down. I'll make you that cup of coffee."

Felicity sat down on the couch and watched Oliver walk out of the office and into the elevators. He hadn't tried to tell her that everything would be okay, he hadn't tried to tell her that Slade wouldn't hurt her. He hadn't said any of those things, and it was just as well because those were promises that he could not make.

* * *

Oliver sighed as the coffee slowly poured into the mug. He didn't like to see Felicity this way. This is exactly what he had so desperately wanted to avoid. In this case, ignorance was bliss and that had been taken away from her as soon as she had seen herself on the screen of his phone.

He let out a frustrated breath. Not only was he worried about Felicity, his mind kept switching to the dream. It wasn't only when he saw Felicity that the images flashed in his mind: the light, the children, the warmth. This time it was different. This time he found himself _deliberately _recounting the scenes. He _wanted _to remember them. He was afraid that he would forget the faces of the children, or the warmth that caressed his skin, or the joyous squeals. He wanted to remember all of it. The guilt ate away at him, but it was worth it. He had accepted long ago that he would not live the life he had dreamed of, but that didn't mean that he could not hold on to the dreams if only for a little while.

When he returned to the office, he found that Felicity had fallen asleep. Half of her body lay on the couch. He set the cup down on the coffee table and gently picked up her legs and set them on the couch. He knew that it was 'unprofessional', and that Felicity would probably scold him for letting her sleep, but he let her sleep. She needed it. She deserved it.

He heard her yawn an hour later. He looked up from the documents he had been reading and watched, bemused, as she stretched out. Suddenly she bolted upright and looked around the room as if expecting something to jump out at her at any given moment. She swung her feet to the ground in one fluid motion and stood. "Oliver," she hissed. "How could you let me sleep? How long have I been asleep?"

"Not long, about an hour," he said absently, leaning back in his chair.

He watched her blue eyes grow wide. "I—Oliver! You can't just let me do things like that. You have to wake me! Oh my God, no one walked in right?" He said nothing, instead he simply watched her in amusement. He had no doubt that she would begin babbling any moment now. "Right? Oliver! What if someone had walked in? What would you have told them? 'Oh my secretary—"

"Executive Assistant," He corrected.

She glared at him. "Fine. 'My EA is really tired so she's taking a nap.' Is that what you would have said? Ugh that would have just sparked _more _rumors. The _last _thing I need is more ridiculous rumors. You know, you'd think all this would be behind you after high school, but no…. What if Isabel had walked in? That woman is evil and she scares me." She turned on her heel and began pacing back and forth, "You may be the CEO Oliver but there are certain rules and regulations to which one must uphol—"

"Felicity." He paused, smiling, "No one walked in. No one saw you sleeping. Everything is fine."

Biting her lip, Felicity nodded curtly and then looked at the coffee table. "I thought you were going to bring me coffee mister."

Oliver chuckled. "I drank it while you slept. Sorry…I'll make you a fresh new cup of coffee right now."

* * *

"Felicity I lost them, where are they?" Oliver's voice came through the coms.

"Diggle's still right on his tail," She paused and studied the map of the city. Turning her attention back on the traffic cameras and the white van followed by a BMW convertible that Diggle had 'borrowed' she spoke, "If you turn into the next alleyway you'll cut them off." She heard Oliver rev the motorcycle engine as he turned into the alleyway. For a moment she lost sight of him, but he soon reemerged, Sara right behind him. "In two minutes they'll be directly in front of you."

In exactly two minutes the white van appeared directly in front of them and Oliver punctured the front two tires with two expertly aimed arrows. Sara had stepped off of her motorcycle and was heading toward the van. Just as she opened the door Felicity's phone rang. She glanced at the screen,_ 'unknown number_'.

"Hello?"

"Evening Miss Smoak." Felicity froze. A cold chill ran down her body and she suppressed a shiver. The voice was one she had come to know too well: low, calm, threatening, and filled with a hatred Felicity could not even begin to fathom. "I see your friends have found the van." Her eyes darted to the screen where the driver now lay at Sara's feet.

Something was wrong however because she heard Oliver curse as Diggle informed him that the van was empty. The Mirakuru was nowhere to be found. Then it clicked. There was no way that Slade would be transporting the Mirakuru. He was far too smart for that. He would undoubtedly have moved the Mirakuru to a secure location long before he had made his presence in Starling City known to them. She suddenly felt sick. How could they have been so stupid? "It was all a distraction," she heard herself whisper.

"What?" She heard Oliver ask over the coms unit.

"Very clever Miss Smoak…." Felicity looked intently at the traffic camera feed. Something was bound to happen, but what? "Well, if you'll excuse me I must be going. I have dinner reservations. Enjoy the rest of your night. I'm sure you'll be very busy, what with three computer screens, and all those glass cases to clean up."

The line went dead. Felicity could hear Oliver desperately asking her if something was wrong, but she couldn't muster a sound. Taking one look around the Foundry she pushed away from the table forcefully, letting the wheels of her chair slide her to the other side of the room. Breathing heavily, she saw it before the chair hit the wall. Just below the corner of the table a small red light blinked.

She lunged out of the desk chair in a futile attempt to reach the staircase. There was a deafening sound and a blinding light, glass shattered, computer monitors hit the ground. She was thrown against the railing of the staircase and she cried out, but her outcry was cut short as her head hit the concrete.

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! Chapter 7! Let me know if you guys are still with me and if you liked the chapter! The next one will be up soon! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: As promised, here is chapter 8 without the long wait! :P LOL It rhymes. Anyways I really rather like this chapter... it's a bit angsty, but I really like it. Felicity deserves a boat-load of credit more than she receives. I have to say I'm truly grateful for the wonderful reviews that the last chapter recieved! :D**

** I hope you guys like it! **

* * *

"In two minutes they'll be directly in front of you," he heard Felicity say. Oliver drew an arrow out of his quiver. The white van came into view, its lights shining directly into his eyes, but he didn't need to see. He released the arrow and the car veered to the left. Quickly he drew another arrow and punctured the remaining front tire of the car.

The car came to an abrupt halt mere feet from them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sara step off of her motorcycle and approach the van. Diggle stopped the BMW and stepped out, gun in hand. Sara wrenched open the door of the van and hit the driver on the head before he could escape through the opposite door. She dragged him out and entered the van.

Oliver stepped off of his motorcycle and made his way to the back of the van. Diggle had his gun pointed at the double doors and gave him a curt nod. He opened the doors swiftly and stepped aside. No gunshots rang out. No men jumped out.

"It's empty!" Diggle shouted.

Oliver stepped around the door to see for himself. "Shit!" He looked around the darkened street as if expecting the Mirakuru to appear. He knew it wouldn't appear. He knew that the Mirakuru was nowhere near here.

He heard Felicity say something over the coms unit. "What?" He asked.

No answer from her came.

"There is nothing in here. The van is clear," Sara informed him as she stepped out.

"It was a distraction," Diggle said, putting his gun away and walking to Sara.

"I know, but a distraction from what?" Oliver asked through gritted teeth. "Felicity, is there something that we missed? What's wrong? There was no answer, but he could hear her breathing heavily. Something was wrong. Something was _very _wrong. "Felicity… Felicity answer me!""

The three of them shouted in unison as an earsplitting blast came through their coms. Instantly, they retracted the devices from their ears and threw them aside. Oliver was moving before his mind registered what he was doing. He didn't hear Sara and Diggle as they called after him. The only sound was that of his motorcycle.

They hadn't been far from the Foundry, but suddenly every second was an hour, every foot was a mile. He wasn't moving fast enough. His vision became blurred from the dampness in his eyes. '_No. No. No. Please no_,' he repeated in his mind, silently pleading with the universe. As the Verdant came into view, his breathing became more labored. There was no visible sign that there had been an explosion, but Oliver hadn't expected to see any sign of that. Slade had one goal and he only needed the explosion to affect the Foundry in order to achieve that goal.

Oliver left his motorcycle in the middle of the parking lot, not even flinching when the motorcycle hit the pavement behind him. He knew Felicity would probably have moved towards the inside entrance in the case that she had seen the bomb; the Verdant was closed that night. Oliver ran through the empty building letting out a strangled cry as he hurriedly punched in the code.

For the first time since the explosion rang through the coms unit, Oliver stood still. From his place on top of the stairs, he scanned the room quickly, looking for one thing and one thing alone. The Foundry was dark and there was a blanket of smoke hanging in the air, but he was able to see the remains of the computer monitors and the steel table. There was glass everywhere, the wall on the far end of the room was cracked, pieces of arrow littered the floor, and the large light that hung above the computers had fallen and broken. He took it all in in seconds.

He spotted the blood first. "Felicity!" The blood seeped through her white shirt on her back. Felicity lay on her side. Oliver could only see her back, for her hair covered her face. Taking the stairs two at a time he sank down next to her. He pressed two fingers lightly to her neck and let out a breath of relief when he felt a pulse. The shoulder visible to him was badly bruised. Carefully, he brushed her hair aside and ground his teeth when he saw the edge of a bad bruise on her forehead.

"Felicity!" The urgent voice of Diggle came from the top of the stairs and within seconds he was beside Oliver. "We need to get her to the hospital."

"I already called an ambulance," Oliver said. Then he blinked, and wondered if he really had, but somewhere between the van and Verdant he vaguely remembered calling an ambulance. "Help me carry her upstairs."

He could have carried her himself, but he was not sure just how badly she had hurt her back and he didn't want to take any chances. Together, they carried her upstairs into the empty club. Sara appeared at the door moments later. "Oh my God…" She hesitated for a moment, but spoke again, "I passed the ambulance on the way. They'll be here in maybe five minutes."

Oliver didn't even look at Sara, he gently set Felicity down and pulled out his car keys from his pocket. "I need to change. I'm going with her to the hospital." He glanced back at Felicity, not wanting to leave her even for a second. Then he quickly made his way to the car and took out the extra clothing he had stored in the trunk.

Just as he finished changing into a pair of jeans and a plain white shirt, he heard the distant sirens of the ambulance. "What do we tell them?" Sara asked as he came out of the bathroom. It was a valid question, but it annoyed Oliver. To him, it didn't matter. Only Felicity mattered.

"We tell them the truth," Diggle said. "There was a slight explosion in the basement. That's all they need to know."

Oliver nodded curtly as the ambulance pulled up and the paramedics came in hurriedly through the front door. He saw the men hesitate slightly as they caught sight of Felicity. Oliver wordlessly helped the men put her on the stretcher and carry her to the ambulance. He distinctly heard Diggle speaking to one of the paramedics, but he kept his eyes on Felicity.

She looked pale and he winced slightly when he realized they had laid her on her back. He was suddenly glad that she was unconscious, so that she didn't feel the pain. One of the men entered the back of the ambulance car and closed the double doors; soon they were moving, sirens blaring as they headed to the hospital.

* * *

Oliver hadn't been allowed in the operating room while the doctors examined her and determined whether or not there actually needed to be an operation of some sort. Unfortunately that left him alone with time to think. He couldn't sit still, so he'd been pacing the waiting room floor for at least half-an-hour.

His mind had wandered during that half-an-hour. He had thought of seven different ways to kill Slade slowly, five different scenarios in which Felicity had been closer to the bomb, and four conversations in which he would convince Felicity to leave the team and go live a happy safe life somewhere far away.

Diggle had called him twice to check up on Felicity, but Oliver had had nothing to report. He could only pinch the bridge of his nose and reply: "She's still in there."

He was beyond angry; the rage that surged inside him every time he glanced at the doors of the hallway was indescribable. Every time he glanced at those doors a helpless feeling consumed him and overpowered the fierce anger because when his eyes landed on the doors, he imagined a life without her. Finally he sank down to the floor against the wall directly in front of the double doors.

His mind drifted to the dreams and he balled his hands into fists. She had to live dammit! She had to recover and live that life! Sighing in frustration Oliver leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. If he could speak to her at that moment, he thought, he would tell her to fight, he would tell her to come out of the darkness, he would tell her that she was remarkable, he would tell her that she could do anything that she wanted to do.

A feeling of desperation threatened to take control as Oliver realized that maybe he would never hear her voice again. He had kept those thoughts tucked away once he had checked her pulse in the Foundry, but the truth was that she was not out of the woods yet. Maybe he would never hear her babble, or scold him again. Maybe her smile and bright blue eyes would never again coax him out of the shadows. That was the thought that sent him over the edge. As he opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling, lit brightly, a sole tear escaped and slowly ran down his cheek.

"Ollie?" Thea's voice was no more than a whisper. He looked into his sister's eyes and wondered briefly if the hopelessness in her eyes reflected in his own. Roy stood beside her, hands in the pockets of his hoodie, his face downcast. Thea slid down the wall and sat beside her brother; she laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. Roy took a seat beside Thea and they sat there engulfed in their worry and sorrow.

* * *

Sara walked slowly to the waiting room of the hospital. She and Diggle had been searching the Foundry for any clue that could have led them directly to Slade, but they had found none. And now, while Diggle had gone to Felicity's house in order to get her some comfortable clothes, Sara found herself at the hospital.

She, just like everyone, was worried. She bit her lip nervously as she walked through the too-brightly-lit hallways. Everything around her was white—everything in hospitals always was. She absently wondered why that was. Was it to give people a feeling of peace—to make them feel as if they were walking through the halls of heaven itself? Maybe it was. Maybe they did that so that one understood that whether or not you walked out, you'd be going somewhere good. If you walked out, then you'd be headed to your family and friends. If you didn't walk out, then you would go to heaven.

Of course, no one in hospitals saw it that way and that notion was confirmed by every face that she laid eyes upon. Everyone aside from the doctors and nurses, looked tired, solemn, and worried. A small smile appeared on her face as she realized that every hospital could benefit from a Felicity Smoak. She could just imagine Felicity walking through the halls, sharing her light with everyone around her. Maybe if every hospital had a Felicity Smoak, then hospitals wouldn't be filled with such solemn faces.

She saw them before she entered the waiting room. She paused in the doorway and watched them. Oliver, Thea, and Roy all sat on the floor against the wall. Thea's head rested on Oliver's shoulder and her arms were wrapped tightly around him. Her eyes were wide open as she stared at the double doors directly in front of them. Even from her where she stood, Sara could see the dampness in Thea's eyes as tears threatened to spill over. Roy hugged his knees to himself and had rested his head on his knees. And then there was Oliver. He sat, knees bent, head against the wall, and eyes closed. Sara didn't have to look into his eyes to know what he was feeling.

It was then that Sara hoped more than anything that Felicity would fully recover. Of course she had hoped that Felicity lived prior to seeing Oliver sitting in the waiting room, but at that moment she hoped that Felicity would live for Oliver's sake. She realized that if Felicity did not live Oliver would be sent falling over the edge. He would retreat into the shadows and no one, not even Thea, would be able to reach him. She knew that Slade had wanted to hurt Oliver and she wondered if even Slade was aware of the level of pain that he had inflicted on him; she doubted that he truly knew.

Sara cared for Felicity. She was Felicity's friend. She'd also been drawn to the light and she wanted to see that light shine another day. As she took one last look at Oliver, Thea, and Roy however, she felt out of place. She cared about Felicity just as much as they did, but she didn't fit there for some reason. Slowly, she turned and walked back the way she had come. She would let them grieve, worry, and hope together.

* * *

Diggle turned the key in the lock and there was a faint click. The house felt too empty and too dark. He turned on the lights as he walked through the hallway. He'd been here twice, but he'd only been inside once. Usually, being in someone's home without their consent made him feel uncomfortable, intrusive, but he felt perfectly at ease as he walked through Felicity's home. He smiled as he realized that it was because Felicity wouldn't mind; the trust between them was as solid as stone.

He walked into her living room and turned on the lights. The curtains were open and he closed them before turning on the light in the kitchen and heading to her bedroom. There really wasn't a need to turn on every light, but it made him feel as though Felicity would appear at any moment and tell him to make himself comfortable on the couch while she made some hot chocolate.

He opened the door of her bedroom and turned on the light. He'd never been in her bedroom before. There was a queen-sized bed, two nightstands on either side of it, and a small beige love seat facing the window at the other end of the room. Diggle smiled as he spotted the light-blue teddy bear sitting on her bed, dutifully awaiting her return.

He moved to one of the two doors on the left side of the room. He opened the first one to find her bathroom and he closed it. He opened the second and found her small walk-in-closet. Picking-up the small duffle bag in the corner, he grabbed a pair of comfortable grey sweatpants and a simple deep-blue t-shirt. He also grabbed a clean pair of underwear and her panda flats. Satisfied, he stepped out of the small closet and closed the door. Now, when she awoke, she could change into something comfortable rather than the ridiculously thin and uncomfortable hospital dresses.

'_If she wakes up,' _the dark corner of his mind thought. Diggle shook his head as if the gesture would banish the thought. He hadn't allowed himself to think like that: not when he'd heard the blast, not when Oliver had sped away, not when he'd seen the blood seeping through her shirt, or the bruise on her shoulder, not when he'd seen the hopeless and vulnerable look in Oliver's blue eyes.

Part of him knew that it was the reason that he had needed to come here and retrieve her clothes. He had needed to assure himself that she would need them—that she would wake up and need them. And it had worked, it had allowed him to veer away from dark thoughts and he would be damned if he allowed it to stop working now.

He turned off the light of her room and closed the door. He turned off the light in the kitchen and was about to turn off the light in the living room when he noticed two picture frames on the coffee table in front of the couch. The last time that he'd been here the coffee table had been clear. Curiosity prompted him to move closer and when he did, he saw the pictures. One of the framed pictures was of the three of them. They all smiled at the camera. The second picture was of him and Oliver. Diggle suddenly remembered the day in the office when Oliver had wanted to borrow Felicity's phone in order to take a picture. Carefully, Diggle took the picture of the three of them and placed it into the duffle bag; he'd take it to Felicity.

He turned off the light in the living room and walked out the front door, leaving the light in the hallway and the porch light on. Locking the door, he bent down and returned the key to its hiding spot in the small flower pot beside the front door.

* * *

**A/N: So there you have it...chapter 8. I hope you liked this chapter as much as I did. Review and let me know what you think! :D **


End file.
